Senator Jon Kyl Joins Covington

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senator Jon Kyl, who recently left Congress as the second-highest ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate, is joining Covington & Burling's global public policy and government affairs practice.

Senator Kyl's arrival comes just months after the firm tapped Dan Bryant, former senior vice president of global public policy and government affairs at PepsiCo, to oversee the growth of its public policy practice in Washington and Brussels.

Senator Kyl, most recently the Senate Minority Whip, is expected to play a key role in helping the firm expand its global public policy practice by advising companies on a wide range of policies from Washington and Brussels affecting the business communities around the globe, Mr. Bryant said. In particular, the senator will focus on guiding clients on the policy aspects of tax, health care, defense, national security and intellectual property matters.

During Senator Kyl's 26 years in Congress, he built a reputation for mastering the complex nuances of legislative policy, first in the U.S. House of Representatives and then in the U.S. Senate. In 2010, Time magazine called him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, noting his "encyclopedic knowledge of domestic and foreign policy, and his hard work, leadership," and his "power to persuade."

Senator Kyl sat on the Senate Finance Committee, where he was the top Republican on the Subcommittee on Taxation and Internal Revenue Service Oversight. The senator also served as the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism.

The senator will be resident in the D.C. office of the firm and work on the global public policy team alongside Mr. Bryant, Holly Fechner, vice chair of the practice and long-time aide to former Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and many others including: former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; John Dugan, the former U.S. Comptroller of the Currency; Stu Eizenstat, who served in three American presidential administrations in roles that included ambassador to the EU; and former Ambassador John Veroneau, who served as deputy U.S. Trade Representative.

"This is an exciting opportunity to launch a new chapter in my career at one of the most prestigious firms in the world," Senator Kyl said. "I look forward to working with corporate clients to find solutions that will help their businesses grow."